Mason County Courthouse lights up for the holiday after 2021 fire
Mason County Courthouse illuminated for holidays
The Mason County Courthouse is lit up red, white and green for the holidays after it was burned in a devastating fire in 2021. It will be the first Christmas in three years with full access to the courthouse.
MASON COUNTY, Texas - It will be the first Christmas in three years with full access to the Mason County Courthouse.
The return includes a new look with the courthouse illuminated for the holidays. Inside a Christmas tree is up and so are spirits, according to County Judge Sheree Hardin.
"That void, that’s been in the center of town, is no longer there," said Judge Hardin.
A symbolic end of the courthouse rebuild took place Monday on the southwest corner of the square. Employees with the county clerk and the sheriff’s offices were finishing up swapping out buildings on the square. For residents of Mason, like Cynthia Jaquez, it’s also the end of a journey.
"We’ve waited for a long time to get it back again, we were just devastated when it burned, it’s a part of our history, a part of our town," said Jaquez.
Mason County reopens courthouse
The Mason County Courthouse is open again after it had been set on fire in 2021. The county held a rededication ceremony over the weekend. FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski reports.
Fire swept through the courthouse on Feb. 4, 2021. The structure was gutted. It was a quick decision to rebuild, but it took three years, nearly $20 million and a lot of faith to finish the job. Now the sound of the courthouse bells represents something more than the time of day, according to Mason Mayor Robert Rayburn.
" It is a blessing more than a relief, it is a blessing to hear the tower, to hear the bells at night that rings every half-hour. It is absolutely something you look forward to periodically during the day. You stop for a second when you hear them and you go, we’re back, we are back whole again," said Mayor Rayburn.
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The remodel did not remove some of the burn marks from the fire, a reminder of what was lost and found. There were also re-discovered gems, like the return of plaster walls that were etched as if they were tiles and the colored tiles on the fireplaces were brought back to their original appearance.
There's wall-to-wall wood flooring in the district courtroom with hand-carved features on the judge’s bench. The Justice of the Peace's office was also brought back to its original early 1900s appearance.
Jean Reardon, the wife of former County Judge Tommy Reardon, brought two friends to the Courthouse to show off the work. FOX 7 Austin asked what her late husband would think of the remodel.
"I think he would greatly approve. I do because he was one who treasured the history of Mason County. He had lived here almost all his life. The colors are a shock to all of us who only knew it as a drab beige inside but knowing its historically colors it’s a precious thing," said Reardon.
Mason Co. courthouse arsonist found guilty
A jury has found Nicholas Miller guilty of setting a fire that destroyed Mason County's historic courthouse.
The courthouse, before the fire, was about to be remodeled. Judge Hardin told FOX 7 Austin the rebuild allowed extra modern modifications to be included.
"The wiring, the plumbing everything is up to code and it's new. So, it is a bit of a trick of the eye. You walk in, it looks historic, but it's new," said Judge Hardin.
The man who set the courthouse on fire was convicted of arson back in February. Nicholas Miller is currently serving a 75-year sentence at the Coffield Unit in NE Texas.
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski and previous reporting.